Comp time tracker
Comp time tracker for employers
Compensatory time off, kept in one record. A manager records the extra hours, an approver confirms them, the person takes the time off, and unused time can expire on a date you set. LeaveCalc records what the employer decides. It does not decide whether comp time is allowed.
Free for up to 3 people, with a 14-day Pro trial. No card. Comp time is included in every plan.
Before you use it
What the US Department of Labor says
The Department of Labor's Handy Reference Guide to the FLSA is the reference LeaveCalc links to. These are its own words on overtime and on comp time.
“Special rules apply to State and local government employment involving fire protection and law enforcement activities, volunteer services, and compensatory time off instead of cash overtime pay.”
“Nonexempt workers must be paid overtime pay at a rate of not less than one and one-half times their regular rates of pay after 40 hours of work in a workweek.”
US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Handy Reference Guide to the Fair Labor Standards Act. dol.govState and local government employers
The page names compensatory time off instead of cash overtime pay as one of the special rules for state and local government employment. If you are a public sector employer, read the rules that apply to you.
Whatever limits they set, you can mirror in LeaveCalc: the rate, an optional maximum balance and an optional expiry.
Private employers with nonexempt staff
The page describes overtime pay at not less than one and one-half times the regular rate and does not describe comp time as an alternative. Ask your attorney or the Department of Labor before you give time off in place of overtime pay.
Exempt staff and your own policy
The second sentence above is about nonexempt workers. Time off for people who are exempt from overtime is a matter of your own policy and agreements, and many employers record it as comp time or time off in lieu.
What LeaveCalc does
It records what you decide. A US company sees a short note with a link to this Department of Labor page while it sets up a comp time policy. The tool does not decide who may earn comp time and gives no legal advice.
What it tracks
Every hour of comp time, from worked to used
It is the same ledger that holds PTO and sick leave, so balances, the calendar, the payroll export and reports all stay in step.
Record extra time
A manager enters the day, the hours and a reason, or the person submits "I worked extra time" from the request link.
Approve in one place
Entries go to the people who approve that person's time off, with a person's own approver and a delegate if you set them.
The rate you decide
Credit the hours worked times the rate on your policy, up to 5. The rate used is kept with each entry.
Optional expiry and maximum
Earned time can last a number of days, with a reminder 14 days before, and a maximum balance in hours can cap it.
Take it as ordinary time off
People request comp time like any leave. It shows on the team calendar and in the payroll CSV by leave type.
Balance next to PTO
Each person has a comp time balance in hours beside PTO and sick leave, with what expires and when.
What LeaveCalc does not do here
No time clock, no pay calculation, no decision on who may earn comp time.
LeaveCalc does not measure hours worked or calculate overtime pay, and it does not decide whether comp time is allowed for a person or a pay situation. It keeps the record of what you decide. One entry covers one day and up to 24 hours, and the rate can be up to 5.
Expired time is removed after its last usable day. An entry cannot be cancelled once any of its time has been used or has expired. With a maximum balance, an approval that would pass it is cut to fit, and with no room left it is refused.
Comp time and time off in lieu are the same feature
Only the name and the US note differ.
For a US company the leave type is named Comp time. For other countries the default name is Time off in lieu. The records, the approvals, the expiry and the balances work the same. If you operate outside the US, see the TOIL tracker, which also has a free calculator.
How it works
Set the policy, record the time, take it off
One policy, then one entry for each extra day worked.
Add a comp time policy
Choose the rate you decide on, an optional expiry and maximum, and whether a manager approves.
Record the extra time
A manager enters the day and hours, or the person submits them. Once approved, the hours join the balance.
Let them take it
The person requests time off against the comp time balance, and the balance shows what is left.
What the record looks like
A comp time ledger, without the spreadsheet
Each person has a running record: time earned, time taken and time that expired. Taking time uses the credit that expires first, so the balance is always the sum of what is still usable.
- Every entry keeps the day, the hours, the rate used and who approved it
- The balance and the hours that expire soon are on the Balances screen
- Everything is in the payroll CSV by leave type
| Date | Entry | Hours | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26 | Earned, 4 h worked | +4.0 | 4.0 |
| Oct 2 | Earned, 2 h worked | +2.0 | 6.0 |
| Oct 9 | Taken as time off | -3.0 | 3.0 |
| Dec 26 | Expired, unused from Sep 26 | -1.0 | 2.0 |
Compare your options
Comp time spreadsheet or LeaveCalc
A spreadsheet is a fair start for one or two people.
| What you need | Comp time spreadsheet | LeaveCalc |
|---|---|---|
| Hours earned | A formula per row that you keep correct | Hours worked times your rate, kept with each entry |
| Approval | An email thread, then a cell you edit | Approved in the app or from the email, by the right person |
| Expiry | Dates you watch yourself | Optional, with a reminder 14 days before |
| Using the time | A second sheet, subtracted by hand | An ordinary request on the team calendar |
| Cost | Free, plus your time | Free up to 3 people, then a flat monthly price |
Pricing
Flat price by team size, comp time included
Every plan has every feature except SAML single sign-on, which is for Business and Enterprise. You pay only when your team grows.
Free
$0per month
For teams up to 3 people
Pro
$15per month
For teams of 4 to 25 people, 14-day free trial
Business
$69per month
For teams of 26 to 100 people, 14-day free trial
Enterprise
$149per month
For teams of more than 100 people, no seat limit
No card for Free or the 14-day trial. Cancel any time, with a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans. Paying yearly costs ten months for twelve, and Business and Enterprise can pay a year by invoice.
Start freeFAQ
Comp time tracking, answered plainly
Comp time is short for compensatory time off: time off given in place of pay for extra hours worked. On its Handy Reference Guide to the FLSA, the US Department of Labor lists "compensatory time off instead of cash overtime pay" among the special rules for state and local government employment. LeaveCalc keeps comp time as a balance in hours, the same way it keeps time off in lieu, which is the name used in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The Department of Labor page says nonexempt workers must be paid overtime at not less than one and one-half times their regular rates after 40 hours in a workweek, and it places comp time instead of cash overtime under special rules for state and local government employment. It does not describe comp time as an option for private employers. If you are a private employer with nonexempt staff, ask your employment attorney or the Department of Labor before you give time off in place of overtime pay.
Public sector employers can, under the special rules the Department of Labor points to for state and local government employment, and you should read the rules that apply to you. Time off for people who are exempt from overtime is a matter of your own policy and agreements. LeaveCalc records whichever applies to you. It does not decide who is allowed to earn comp time.
Create a Comp time policy in LeaveCalc and set the rate, an optional expiry and an optional maximum. A manager records the day and hours of extra time worked, or the person submits them from the request link. Once an approver confirms, the hours join the balance. When the person takes time off, they request it like any other leave, and the balance, the calendar and the payroll CSV update. A US company sees a short note with a link to the Department of Labor page while it sets this up.
For one or two people, a sheet with hours earned, hours used and a balance can work. It gets harder when several managers record time, when balances expire, or when you want comp time next to PTO and the team calendar. LeaveCalc does the expiry, the approvals and the balances, and it is free for up to 3 people.
That depends on the rules that apply to you and on your policy. LeaveCalc can set an optional expiry in days: the last usable day is the day worked plus those days, a reminder goes to the person and their approver 14 days before, and unused time is removed afterwards. Leave it empty if comp time does not expire for you.
That is set by the rules that apply to you or by your policy, not by LeaveCalc. The tool credits the hours worked times the rate you enter on the policy, from a small fraction up to 5, and it keeps the rate used with each entry. It does not tell you which rate is right.
LeaveCalc is record keeping software and records what the employer decides. It does not give legal advice. Overtime rules differ by employer type, by worker and by state, so confirm yours with an employment attorney or the US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.
Also see
Start tracking comp time today.
Free for up to 3 people, no card. Add a policy, record the first entry and let the balances take care of themselves.